Girl's Weekend

Over Labor Day weekend, Hazel, Gemma and I flew to California to recharge with our best friends.  Jacko stayed in Utah and had a "vacation" with my parents.

We flew out of Provo airport and into Oakland, taking advantage of an outrageous deal with Allegiant Airlines.  Awesome Suzanne Hope drove to Oakland to pick us up and take us back.

After a rendezvous with a handful of friends at a park, Chrissy, Suzanne and I left our big kids with the husbands and made a beeline out of there.  Gordon assumed responsibility for Hazel for the next two days and did an incredible job keeping her, Spencer, and Nova occupied, fed, and safe.  The three of them were off-the-wall excited to be reunited.  Gordon kept texting us pictures, all filled with kids with beaming smiles and arms around each other.

Our only foux-paus was that I overlooked pulling Hazel's bangs back before I left Friday night.  I tried to instruct Gordon on the art of ponytail usage over the phone, but to no avail.  Luckily, Dan does Nova's hair on occasion and was able to salvage a hairstyle when he arrived Saturday morning.

 The kids watched movies, went to the park, made crowns, played in the swimming pool, ate burgers in the front yard, and that's all I know.  BECAUSE I WASN'T WITH THEM!  Gordon and Dan sent us lots of pictures, which we were all excited to see.  I think Chrissy and Suzanne felt the same way I did, wanting to hear funny stories and see cute pictures and know what the kids were doing, but soaking up the feeling of being completely void of responsibility and not having to do any of the work.

Chrissy, Suzanne, and I went out to eat, took the babies for a walk, waited too long to go swimming so by the time we got in the pool it was shady and freezing, played card games, and talked, talked, talked. Mostly we lounged around at the hotel while Gemma and Daniel took naps, luxuriating in the wonderful feeling of not being needed by any demanding kiddos and soaking up the strength that comes from the support of loving friends.  

Daniel is only two weeks older than Gemma.  Chrissy and I matched up for our whole pregnancies.  It was interesting for me to watch them, Daniel sitting up, Gemma crawling, Daniel a good six pounds heavier than G, both of them so curious about each other.

We came back Sunday morning, but not before making a pact to turn this girl's weekend into an annual celebration.  We are slated for the last weekend of July 2014.  Can't wait!

We went to church at our home ward of three years, Woodland Park ward.  I told Todd afterward, it was so comforting for me to be around people who know and love us.  To have people asking how Todd is and how often I get to talk to him, not because they're curious about our situation and wonder how I'm managing, but because they really care about my family and are praying for us and are invested in our getting through this year well.  I felt so completely supported and loved and truly wished I had brought Jack with me after all and we could have stayed for a month.

That evening, we had dinner with Natalie Moss and her family.  It felt so familiar, just like we had never left.  She often invited us over for dinner when Todd was out of town.  It was like time stopped and we were not experiencing a deployment right now.  It was strengthening.

Sunday night, Gemma wouldn't settle down and go to sleep.  She does that sometimes when she is really overtired.  Gordon offered to hold her and sing to her, walk the halls of his house and try to get her to sleep so I could go to bed, too.  We had an early flight the next morning.  After 30 minutes, Gemma was still crying, and I had a hunch she would need a ride in the car to knock her out.  I got out of bed to ask Gordon if I could borrow their van and drive Gemma around.  And he asked if he could do it for me.  Said there was a radio show just starting he'd love to listen to anyway. Who does that?  Who drives someone else's cranky baby around in the car for an hour?   I'm overwhelmed by how wonderful my friends are.

Hazel was an incredible traveler, super cheerful and helpful the entire time.  We read chapter books on the plane and she pushed Gemma's stroller in the airport.  She crashed on the drive home from Provo.  She partied hard!